Pistons’ Isaiah Livers will miss start of season with severe ankle sprain
Hours before media day was set to tip off Monday afternoon, the Detroit Pistons released their full 2023-24 NBA training camp roster. Not long after, they announced the first injury of the season.
Isaiah Livers suffered a Grade III left ankle sprain during a pre-training camp workout and will miss six-to-eight weeks, the team said. Grade III is categorized as the most “severe” of ankle sprains.
It’s yet another injury blow for the third-year Michigan alumnus, who has played just 71 games through two seasons.
The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter suffered a stress fracture in his right foot during the 2021 Big Ten tournament, costing him the remainder of his senior season and all but 19 games of his rookie season with the Pistons. He missed 30 games last season due to right hip soreness and a right shoulder sprain.
Livers, 25, tweaked his offseason approach with the goal of staying healthy for the upcoming 2023-24 season, but his latest setback will delay his debut until mid-November at the earliest.
“I’ve built a new friendship with the weight room,” Livers told the Free Press in August. “I feel a lot more explosive, bouncier, and I feel more in control of my body. It’s no secret, the No. 1 thing about me is just avoiding injuries. It’s been some small injuries. I tweaked my workout plan to the point where I won’t have those wear-and-tears, those nagging injuries. I’ve been put on a smart plan where I’m not overworking myself. This is the season. I’m excited and we have big things to look forward to.”
Livers is set to be a restricted free agent next summer, after the Pistons picked up his $1.8 million team option this summer. He has knocked down 37.8% of his 3-pointers through two seasons and is one of Detroit’s better defenders, but his lack of availability has hindered his career thus far. Livers, the No. 42 overall pick in 2021, has averaged 6.6 points in 22.3 minutes per game, making 27 starts.
The Pistons’ 21-player training camp roster includes five players on Exhibit-10 deals — Buddy Boeheim, Zavier Simpson (Michigan), Stanley Umude, Tosan Evbuomwan and Jontay Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. All except Porter were present on the Pistons’ summer league roster in July.